2024 General Election Voter registration Trans / Non-Binary / Gender Queer Info
This is the first UK General Election where photo ID is needed to vote. Pink News has worked with the Electoral Commission to create useful info for people who are Trans / Non-Binary / Gender Queer and may be concerned about their ID being accepted.
2023 URC General Assembly affirms the human dignity of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
The 2023 General Assembly of the United Reformed Church agreed to:
a) affirm the human dignity of transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people and
asserts their right, within and beyond the URC, to live without threat of violence and hatred.
b) recognise the church’s failure to challenge the norms on which transphobia is built and
acknowledge that sometimes it has perpetuated these norms.
c) commit to furthering the church’s understanding of, and pastoral care for transgender, non-binary
and gender non-conforming people in the church, both locally and across the denomination.
To find our more visit here.
United Nations IE SOGI meeting
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the United Nations Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI) conducted a formal country visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 24 April to 5 May 2023 to assess the human rights situation of LGBTIQ+ persons.
Rev Elder Maxwell Reay was invited to a private, one to one meeting with Victor Madrigal-Borloz on 1st May 2023 in Edinburgh, to share his experiences and views on conversion practices and his recommendations to the Scottish and UK governments in relation to the protection of individual’s human rights.
Vigil: Transgender Day of Visibility 31 March 2023
On Easter Sunday, 31st March 2023, a Vigil was held at AUC to mark Transgender Day of Visibility, organised by Our Tribe (our LGBTQI+ ministry at AUC that works in partnership with Metropolitan Community Church) .
Transgender Day of Visibility started in 2009, as an opportunity to celebrate our transgender siblings. This year we held an event, building on the successes of last year, to celebrate transgender joy, mark the first birthday of Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh (RTiE), join with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, as well as listen to speakers from local transgender community and campaigning organisations.
RTiE is a community-based organisation which collaborates with progressive organisations, championing trans liberation, joy and a safer future for trans youth, aiming to foster unity within the transgender community and beyond. AUC provides meeting space for RTiE, who meet once a month in the building. Several members of AUC are regular attendees at their meetings. You can find out more about RTiE by visiting their website (https://rtie.org/).
We had a diverse cross-section of people attending with 70 attendees in total. For some people this was their first time in our building. This provided a safe space to mark our collective achievements and find energy to continue in the action towards transgender liberation.
Laurence Wareing played a selection of wonderful show tunes. Vic Valentine from Scottish Trans spoke about their work and the current climate of transphobia in Scotland and Edinburgh in particular. Kit from RTiE spoke about how RTiE came into being following an anti-trans rally in Glasgow in February 2023. A group of community activists came together in response to the counter-protest and who wanted to ensure people attending the counter-protest were able to keep themselves safe from the far-right elements at the rally. This was in the context of the murder of Brianna Ghey on 11th February 2023. The group began because of a talk at Lighthouse (lighthousebookshop.com), a radical book shop, about resisting transphobia.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence spoke about their work as a group of radical drag nuns, who have been LGBTQ community activists since 1979. We had spoken word poetry from Amy-Jo Philip and Lewis Reay, with work written for this Transgender Day of Visibility. There was a craft activity with stars and hearts which people could decorate as we wanted to. There were several local clergy present and Rev Lindsey Sanderson, the Moderator of the Scottish Synod of the URC attended. Refreshments were provided, with excellent cake from Ashley.
This was a wonderful event sharing solidarity with the transgender community in Edinburgh. Thanks to everyone who came, who made the event so accepting, to our speakers and everyone who took part and our volunteers who were busy in the background